Machine for harvesting potatoes.



No. 872,166- PATENTED NOV. 26, 1907. R. S. BAXTBR.

MACHINE FOR HARVESTING POTATOES.

- APPLIOATION FILED FEB. 14, 1907.

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N0. 872,166. I PATENTED NOV. 26, 1907.

R. S. BAXTER.

MACHINE FOR HARVESTING POTATOES.

APPLICATION FILED PEB.14. 1907.

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WI rm/53 353 No. 872,166. PATENTED NOV. 26, 190 7.

- R. s. BAXTER.

MACHINE FOR HARVESTING POTATOES.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 14, 1907.

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plates.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ROBERT SIMPSON BAXTER, OF BROUGHTY FERRY, SCOTLAND, ASSIGNOR TO JAMESURQUHART, OF DUNDEE, SCOTLAND.

MACHINE FOR HARVESTING POTATOES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 26, 1907.

Application filed February 14. 1907. Serial No. 357,234.

To all whom "it may concern:

Be it known that 1, ROBERT SIMPSON BAX- TER, a subject of the King ofGreat Britain and Ireland, residing at Broughty Ferry, Scotland, (whosepost office address is Broughty Ferry, in the county of Forfar,Scotland,) has invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Machinesfor the Harvesting of Potatoes and other Root Crops, of which thefollowing is a specification, reference being made therein to theaccompanying drawings.

The object of my said invention is to harvest or raise potatoes, orother root crops out of the ground wherein they have grown; to collector gather them together; to free them from loose earth or soil,'to gradeor select them according to certain sizes and to deliver them intobaskets, carts, or other receptacles in any improved manner. And inorder that my said invention and the manner of putting the same intopractice may be properly understood, I have hereunto appended threeexplanatory sheets of drawings in which the same reference numerals areused to indicate corresponding parts in the figures shown.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a machine showing the main features ofmy invention. Fig. 2 is a plan. Fig. 3 is a front elevation of themachine. Fig. 4 is a cross-section of a modified form of cylindershowing the opening and the closin action of the hinged Fig. 5 is a planof a cranked rod and Fig. 6 is a plan of a pivoted plate showing thebearings.

My invention consists, in its simplest form, of a cylinder 4 ofconvenient diameter and length, pivoted on traveling wheels 5the machineframe being mounted on wheels 5 and 6and inclined at an angle to theground and having diggers attached thereto, as afterwards described.

The cylinder 4 which constitutes the body of the machine, may beconstructed of rods, bars, laths, plates or cast metal, or a combinationof any of them, with open spaces between the said rods, bars, laths orplates. The spaces 7 may be of the same width from end to end of thecylinder; or they may be of different widths in different sections ofthe cylinder and thus exercise a selective or grading action, byallowing the smaller potatoes in each section to fall through the sideof the cylinder into suitable receptacles 8 and 9 underneath, whilethose remaining pass on and are delivered at the top into the receptacle10.

The body of the cylinder may be constructed of a surface of net orperforated work, in place of the steel rods, bars, or plates, or alongwith them, and instead of being cylindrical, may, in some forms ofmachine be conoidal in shape. It is mounted or pivoted at 11 and 12longitudinally so as to be capable of revolving on its axis. and isfurnished internally with an Archimedean screw 13 which forms part ofand revolves with it, in order that its contents may travel onwards andupwards as the cylinder revolves and such cylinder may have internallongitudinal shelves the purpose of which is to lift the contents sothat the clods may be broken up as they fall therefrom. Internallyprojecting pins may be used for the same purpose. When longitudinalplates are used in the construction of the cylinder they may be pivotedlengthwise as shown by the plates 14 the pivots being at one edge so asto be capa- .ble of periodical motion during the revolution of thecylinder, such motion being ef-- fected by gravity by causing their freeedges to seek the lowest position unless when otherwise constrained bythe casing of the cylinder or when in the positions A. B. and O. by thestops 27 for the purpose of freeing themselves from any material whichwould otherwise tend to block the spaces. Instead of plates as in Fig. 6rods bent to form cranks, as in Fig. 5 may be used. This motion can alsobe effected by mechanical means.

The lower end of the cylinder is furnished with a digger or diggers 15constructed so that it, or they may enter the ground, or the side of thefurrow, drill, or ridge horizontally, or parallel with the surface ofthe ground, while the cylinder itself is at an angle in a vertical planetherewith. The prongs, teeth or digging edge 16 of the digger may be setat an .ngle inclined forward towards the direction in which the machinetravels suflicient to enable them to readily pass into the ground, or sothat their path through the 801i may be the resultant of their forwardmotion with the machine and their rotatory motion, as far as may be;that is to say the path of the digger or prongs is similar to the threadof a screw and is alternately in and out of the ground, i. e. the prongsare screwed into and out of the drill. The cylinder is connected withone or more traveling wheels 5 by suitable gearing-in the drawings Ihaveshown it driven by chain wheels 17 fixed on traveling Wheels 5 chains 18operating other chain Wheels 19 on the crossshaft 20. On the cross-shaftis a bevel wheel 21 which drives another 22 keyed on the axle of thecylinder and so causing it to rotate as the machine moves forward. Thebevel wheel 21 is set in or out of gear by a clutch 23 o erated by alever 24:. The breadth of t e digger and the said gearing are so relatedthat each revolution of the cylinder may bring the digger, or if morethan one diggertwo are shown in the drawings may bring each digger tothe place in the ground where the last digger left off. As stated abovethe lower end of the cylinder may be provided with more than one digger.There may also be more than one Archimedean screw, or part of such screw13. The cylinder may have diggers and screws according to its capacityand diameter. The cylinder may carry a share 25 in front of the cylinderto raise up or loosen the soil. It may also be furnished with a lever,or other means for the purpose of raising or depressing the lower end ofthe cyilnder.

In the drawings I have shown a cranked lever 26 coupled to the framewhich carries the cylinder by a rod 28.

A machine may be provided with more than one cylinder, as described,working on different rows of tubers, simultaneously.

The pitch of the Wheels is such that they can run in the bottoms of thedrills and such pitch may be adjustable so that the wheels can run indrills of various pitches.

The action of the machine is briefly as follows; When the machine isdrawn forward the cylinder 4 or cylinders revolve and the digger 16entering the ground, being set by the lever 26 to the desired height ordepth, lifts the potatoes and the earth'and conveys them into the bodyof the cylinder, the sides of which being of a partly open nature, allowthe earth to fall through while the potatoes travel upwards and fallinto different receptacles 8 9 and 10.

Having now described my invention what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is 1. A potato harvester comprising an inclinedcylindrical screen, a fan of spirally ar ranged arms projecting from thelower end thereof and teeth on the end of each arm.

2. A potato harvester comprising an inclined cylindrical screen,spirally arranged arms projecting from the lower end thereof, said armsbeing so arranged as to enter the ground horizontally and teeth on theend of each arm.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of twowitnesses.

ROBERT SIMPSON BAXTER.

Witnesses:

GEO. C. DOUGLAS, A. C. DOUGLAS.

